Cold War Preview

Tour Overview

This tour contains three types of stops: HONOR stops mark the gravesites of specific individuals. REMEMBER stops commemorate events, ideas, or groups of people. EXPLORE stops invite you to discover what this history means to you.

Introduction

The Cold War began in the aftermath of World War II (1941-1945) and ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union and Eastern European communist regimes in the late 1980s and early 1990s — marked, most dramatically, by the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989.

1

Specialist Richard McKinley

Fought in the Korean War. Served as a reactor operator at the U.S. National Reactor Testing Station in Idaho, working on experimental nuclear reactor technology. His death in a reactor accident helped spur investigations into nuclear safety.

The Nuclear Race

Nuclear technological competition was a major part of the Cold War. Known as the “Father of the Nuclear Navy,” Admiral Hyman Rickover (Section 5, Grave 7000-NH) led the Navy’s Naval Reactors division from 1949 to 1982 and oversaw the development of the nation’s first nuclear submarines, including the USS Nautilus (SSN-571).

2

President John F. Kennedy

35th President of the United States. Presidency was marked by increasing threat of nuclear war and the Space Race. Popular in his time and today for his messages on American vitality and civic responsibility.

3

Marguerite Higgins Hall

Reported on World War II in Europe, covering the liberation of Dachau and Buchenwald, the fall of Berchtesgaden, and the Nuremberg trials. Became the only female reporter on the front lines of the Korean War (1950) and won the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting (1951). Covered Cold War conflicts, including reporting behind the Iron Curtain and later on the Vietnam War.

Explore: Women in the Military

Throughout the Cold War, Marguerite Higgins was part of a very small group of American women permitted to visit the frontlines of combat. This is because, at that time, women were prohibited from serving in combat. However, just because women did not serve in front-line combat positions, does not mean they did not serve.

4

General Daniel "Chappie" James Jr.

Flew over 170 combat missions during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, including participation in the successful Operation Bolo in 1967. Became the first African American to achieve the rank of four-star general in any branch of the U.S. military (1975). Served as Commander in Chief of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), overseeing U.S. and Canadian air defense during the Cold War.

5

General Lewis Hershey

Developed and implemented the nation’s first peacetime draft in 1940, shaping U.S. military manpower policy for over three decades. Directed the U.S. Selective Service System from 1941 to 1970, overseeing the draft through World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

Explore: All-Volunteer Force

During the Cold War, the U.S. military transitioned from a conscription-based military to an all-volunteer military. At the start of the Cold War, the draft — both in wartime and peacetime — had high public approval ratings; it was considered a natural obligation of citizenship. However, by the end of the Cold War, military service was exempt from citizenship, and it was entirely composed of volunteers. It has been that way ever since.

6

General Maxwell Taylor

Commanded the 101st Airborne Division during World War II, leading troops in the D-Day invasion and the Battle of the Bulge. Developed the Cold War “flexible response” strategy as U.S. Army Chief of Staff, promoting balanced reliance on both conventional and nuclear forces. Served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and U.S. Ambassador to South Vietnam, shaping U.S. military and diplomatic policy during pivotal Cold War crises, including the Cuban Missile Crisis.

7

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Although the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was originally built to honor an unknown soldier from World War I, it eventually became a national place to honor military service and sacrifice more broadly. Today, it holds the remains of unknown soldiers from both world wars and the Korean War, as well as an empty crypt to honor missing service members from the Vietnam War.

8

Korean War Memorial Contemplative Bench

The Korean War Memorial Contemplative Bench honors the many lives lost in the Korean conflict.

Borinqueneers Memorial Tree

In Section 21, a memorial tree and plaque honor the Korean War service of the U.S. Army’s 65th Infantry Regiment, which consisted almost entirely of soldiers from Puerto Rico. Approximately 65,000 Puerto Ricans served during the Korean War, most with the 65th. Nicknamed “The Borinqueneers,” after the Taino name for Puerto Rico (“Borinquen”), the unit originated in 1899 as the Battalion of Porto Rican Volunteers, shortly after the United States gained control of Puerto Rico as a result of the Spanish-American War. Due to racist ideologies, the Puerto Rican unit received non-combat assignments during World War I and World War II, as did most segregated African American units. However, after President Harry S Truman desegrated the U.S. armed forces in 1948, the Borinqueneers soon had the opportunity to prove themselves in combat.

9

Iran Rescue Mission Memorial

The Iran Rescue Mission Memorial commemorates the role of U.S. service members during the hostage crisis that took place amidst the Iranian Revolution of 1979.Due to its oil resources and strategic location, Iran became an important geopolitical player during the Cold War. The United States and the Soviet Union competed for influence in Iran, as they did in many nations in the so-called “Third World.” However, the Iranian Revolution and its aftermath also show that superpower competition did not shape every international conflict during this era. Beginning in the late 1970s, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Iran and other Middle Eastern nations gradually emerged as a dominant concern of U.S. foreign policy — which would become the dominant concern after the late 1980s, when the Soviet Union and other Communist nations began to collapse. The Iran Rescue Mission Memorial marks a pivotal, and tragic, moment in this evolution of global geopolitics, U.S. foreign policy, and American military interventions.

10

Vietnam Helicopter Memorial Tree

The Vietnam Helicopter Pilot and Crewmember Monument and Memorial Tree honor the helicopter pilots and crew members who died while serving in Southeast Asia from 1961 to 1975. During the dedication cemetery on August 28, 2015, UH-1N Iroquois helicopters flew over Memorial Amphitheater and the memorial tree.

11

Secretary of State John Foster Dulles

Shaped U.S. Cold War strategy through containment and by strengthening alliances like NATO and founding SEATO. Formulated the Eisenhower Doctrine and “New Look” defense policy emphasizing nuclear deterrence. Directed CIA-backed coups in Iran (1953) and Guatemala (1954) to advance U.S. geopolitical interests.

12

Apollo 1 Monument

On October 4, 1957, the world watched in astonishment as the Soviet Union successfully launched its Sputnik satellite into space, thus beginning the Cold War space race.In 1958, the United States established Project Mercury to send the first American into space. Before any person went to space, NASA launched multiple unmanned capsules, as well as capsules containing two chimpanzees and one rhesus monkey, to ensure that space travel was safe for humans. On May 5, 1961, Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. became the first American in space. His 15-minute suborbital flight was followed by five additional flights: one suborbital and four orbital. These flights demonstrated that people could survive in space, and NASA learned how to launch a spacecraft and operate it in orbit.

13

Optional Add-On: Captain Francis Gary Powers

Flew top-secret U-2 reconnaissance missions over the Soviet Union for the CIA, gathering critical intelligence on military and nuclear sites during the Cold War. Survived capture and imprisonment after being shot down over the USSR in 1960, an incident that exposed U.S. espionage operations and heightened Cold War tensions. Posthumously honored with the Prisoner of War Medal in 2000, recognizing his service in a joint CIA–Air Force mission and his role in Cold War intelligence history.

14

Optional Add-On: Major Stephanie Rader

Joined first WAAC class in 1942, pioneering women’s military service. Gathered vital intelligence on Soviet activity in postwar Poland for the OSS. Posthumously earned Legion of Merit in 2016 for outstanding service.

15

Optional Add-On: Sergeant Elmore Goodwin

Served in both World War II and the Korean War, reenlisting in 1946 to continue his military service. Honored with a memorial headstone at Arlington, recognizing his sacrifice after being declared missing in action in 1950.

Explore: Identifying and Bringing Home War Dead

Prior to the establishment of national cemeteries in 1862, American service members were often buried near the places they fell in battle. There was no formal process for marking these graves or informing a soldier’s family of his burial location. With the establishment of the national cemetery system during the Civil War, however, the U.S. government began a large-scale effort to recover, identify and bury its military dead. The Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars presented the challenge of repatriating remains from overseas. Due to the efforts of the Army Quartermaster Burial Corps and United States Army Morgue and Office of Identification in Manila, the remains of thousands of American service members were returned from Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines for burial closer to home.

16

Captain Humbert Roque "Rocky" Versace

Graduated from West Point (1959), earning a Ranger Tab and Parachutist Badge. Served as an intelligence advisor in Vietnam (1962–1963), fighting bravely while wounded before capture. Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor (2002) for extraordinary courage and leadership as a prisoner of war.

Conclusion

You've reached the end of the Cold War Walking Tour. We hope you enjoyed your time exploring the cemetery and learning about this complicated era of history.You can explore additional content and resources on the Arlington National Cemetery Education Program website, or find more tours through Arlington National Cemetery's STQRY.